 National School Breakfast Week (NSBW) starts March 7! Are YOU ready to Take Off With School Breakfast?
This year, the #NSBW22 theme is “Take Off With School Breakfast.” And now is the time to get a head start on promoting your program!
Why should you participate?
Recognizing NSBW in your district or cafeteria helps you:
- Increase student participation in your program.
- Spread the message to parents that you’re serving a healthy, tasty breakfast at school each day.
- Connect with teachers and administrators at your school, and throughout the district, to spread the word that school meals are healthy and delicious.
- Earn media coverage from local papers, blogs, and TV stations.
How can you participate?
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Promote National School Breakfast Week on your social media
Download SNA's Facebook cover photo (jpg) and add it to your program’s page to increase awareness of #NSBW22! Download SNA's Instagram meme (jpg) and use it to spread the word about #NSBW22!
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Use the NSBW toolkit to plan your event
The NSBW Toolkit has prompts to help you plan your event(s), tips for engaging students, decoration ideas, and more!
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Share the NSBW Activity Sheets during meals
The NSBW Activity Sheets include puzzles, coloring pages, and more!
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View the School Breakfast Meal Talk Webinar
The first Meal Talk webinar will focus on school breakfast, and will provide an overview of USDA’s School Breakfast Program, including the benefits of school breakfast, program requirements, and resources for navigating supply chain challenges.
Register for the School Breakfast Meal Talk Webinar
Date: Wednesday, March 9
Time: 12–1 pm PT
Visit the School Nutrition Association and USDA webpages for ideas and resources.
Breakfast After the Bell (BAB) requirements related to House Bill 1508: The Washington Kids Ready to Learn Act will be returning in SY 22–23 and is required in high-need schools. High-need schools are defined as any public school where at least 70% of the total students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals; or, if operating the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), the school has a free claiming percentage of 70% or more.
Join us for a Webinar!
The Breakfast After the Bell: Designing Your Implementation Plan webinar will review things to consider when creating a BAB implementation plan, important reminders, and next steps.
Resources
Questions? Please email Mikhail Cherniske, CNS Legislative Specialist
Join USDA's Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Civil Rights Division for the Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in School Meals Programs training!
Register for the Modifications to Accommodate Disabilities in School Meal Programs Webinar
Date: Wednesday, March 2
Time: 12–1 pm PT
OSPI Child Nutrition staff will be on the call to help answer questions. Please expect any follow up from this training to be released in an upcoming CNS Update.
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
Please be aware that the USDA nationwide waivers expire when your school year has ended. Once your school year has ended, please prepare to return to traditional summer program requirements.
Which program should be operated?
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Seamless Summer Option (SSO): School Meal Program sponsors are eligible to operate.
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Summer Food Service program (SFSP): Local Education Agencies, Tribes, non-profit organizations, government entities, and colleges or universities are eligible to operate.
- Meals must be served at sites located in areas where at least 50% of children are eligible for free or reduced-price meals via either school or census data.
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SFSP Meal Pattern may be followed.
- Meals are reimbursed at the applicable SFSP rate.
If a district plans to offer meals only to students enrolled in summer school, the NSLP/SBP must be extended. Under NSLP/SBP, a by-name meal count is required and meals must be claimed according to a student’s approved eligibility status.
The Meal Program Comparison Chart provides additional information on the similarities and differences between the summer programs.
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
USDA recently provided guidance on funding and resources to assist sponsors of school nutrition programs dealing with supply chain disruptions. This relief funding is made available through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and authorized under the CCC Charter Act. Assistance is being provided through the following three channels.
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Supply Chain Assistance- WA allocation $18,233,217
Funding for all School Food Authorities “exclusively” for the purchase of domestic foods that are minimally processed. Allocations will be based on $5,000 for each SFA plus a proportional amount based on October 2021 enrollment.
We are currently seeking spending authority through the state legislature and plan to distribute these funds at the beginning of next school year. Funds may be used through 9/30/2023. Please review SP 03-2022: Allocation of Supply Chain Assistance (SCA) Funds to Alleviate Supply Chain Disruptions in the School Meal Programs for additional USDA guidance on SCA funds. More Washington state specific details will be provided in a OSPI Bulletin and webinar.
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USDA Foods in Schools- WA allocation $5,283,131
Majority of funding will be added to next year’s entitlement allocation. A small amount will be added to next year’s DoD allocation.
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Local Food For Schools- WA allocation $3,644,643
Funding to state agencies for the purchase of domestic local foods for distribution to schools. OSPI Child Nutrition Services is currently awaiting details from USDA.
Questions? Please email the Child Nutrition team.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published Transitional Standards for Milk, Whole Grains and Sodium - Final Rule for the School Meal Programs and Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP).
This final rule establishes transitional standards to support the continued provision of nutritious school meals as schools respond to and recover from the pandemic and while USDA engages in notice-and-comment rulemaking to update the meal pattern standards to more comprehensively reflect the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025. The standards are effective July 1, 2022 and include:
- Low-fat (1%) flavored milk may be served in the School Meal Programs and to children ages 6 and older in CACFP.
- In the School Meal Programs, unflavored nonfat or low-fat milk must be offered as the second milk type if low-fat flavored milk is served.
- At least 80% of grains served in the School Meal Programs must be Whole-Grain Rich and the remaining servings of grains must be enriched.
- Reduces the dietary specifications for sodium for school lunch by 10% to Target 1a for SY 23-24.
- Sodium Target 1 will be maintained for school lunch in SY 22-23 and for school breakfast in SY 22-23 and SY 23-24.
The Final Rule is available for public comment until March 24, 2022. Submit your comments here.
Additional resources are also available on USDA’s Building Back Better with School Meals webpage.
Questions? Please contact your School Meals Program Specialist.
What is the Pre-Order Survey?
The Pre-Order Survey is your commitment and a preliminary order for the upcoming 2022–23 school year. The survey informs OSPI Food Distribution volume and types of foods we need to order for the entire 2022–23 School Year.
Review the recorded Pre-Order Survey webinar!
NOTE: W-Code Pricing – Processors are expressing uncertainty in the pricing the 22-23 school year and expect processing fees to increase. We encourage you to still order what you need and you will have the option to decrease your order quantities prior to receiving.
Who must complete the survey?
Local Education Agencies (LEAs) who plan to participate in the USDA Food Distribution program for SY 2022–23.
Update Your Survey by 2/25!
The initial review of the Pre-Order survey is complete. You will have until Friday, February 25, to review and revise your order for items that did not meet state truck load minimums and reallocate your entitlement dollars to other products. If you do not reallocate the entitlement dollars for these items, your entitlement will be returned to your account.
If you have the following items on your pre-order or plan to order these items, please remove your request and select an alternative product. The requested quantities did not meet state minimums.
Fruits and Vegetables
- 110473 Broccoli Florets Frozen
- 110721 Sweet Potatoes, CC Fries
- 111230 Mixed Vegetables, No Salt Added
Grains, Nuts, Oil
- 100494 Rice Long Grain, White Parboiled
- 110211 Flour White WW Enriched Blend
Poultry
- 110080 Chicken Oven Roasted Cooked Frozen 8pc
New for the 2022-23 School Year!
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20 Case Minimum Requirement
Your frozen order must have a minimum of 20 cases and each dry order must have a minimum of 20 cases for delivery.
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No August Delivery
The first delivery period is September 2022 and the final will be May 2023.
Resources
Questions? Email Sarah Davis or call 360-725-6215.
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What is the USDA Unprocessed Fruits & Vegetables Pilot Project?
The USDA Pilot Project for Unprocessed Fruits & Vegetables allows schools to use their entitlement dollars to purchase 'unprocessed' fruits and vegetables from various vendors approved by USDA, including produce items that have been minimally sliced, diced, chopped, washed, frozen or dried. Foods that have been heat-treated for processing such as canning or pickling, or contain additives, are not eligible.
Many locally grown products are also available from farms and local food distributors that are eligible vendors for purchases through the USDA Pilot Project.
For more details please review the WSDA Farm to School Toolkit’s USDA Pilot Project page.
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